Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists
Springboard for the Arts’ program Work of Art: Business Skills for Artists is a professional development curriculum designed to teach business skills to artists in all disciplines — visual, performing and literary arts. Artists can take the whole series, customized combinations, or individual workshops that best suit their needs, and the curriculum is available for people interested in leading the workshops and offering professional development resources.
The full in-person course is being offered FREE to Itasca area artists at MacRostie Art Center in March - June of 2023, thanks to funding from the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED).
UPDATE
Please note: general registration is full, but space may be available in some individual sessions. Contact Adam Pankow at Springboard for the Arts with questions about registration.
Session 1:
Career Planning
Friday, March 24, 2023 5:30 pm
Free
Where do you want to be both artistically and professionally? Learn how to define your values, identify key choices and develop a plan to achieve your career goals.
Session 2:
Time Management
Saturday, March 25, 2023 10:00 am
Free
Discover analytical and tool-based approaches to manage your time. These tools will help you tackle hurdles related to efficiency, flexibility, and structure to help you reach your artistic goals.
Session 3:
Portfolio Kit
Saturday, March 25, 2023 1:30 pm
Free
Your portfolio is the core of your promotional material and professional calling card. Focus on the essential elements: sharpening your artist statement, tailoring your artistic resume, and curating and formatting your work samples.
Session 4:
Marketing
Friday, April 21, 2023 5:30 pm
Free
Define your product, discover your target audience, make decisions about how you sell your work, and identify a budget and strategy for your artistic business.
Session 5:
Promotions
Saturday, April 22, 2023 10:00 am
Free
Craft persuasive messaging and create a strategy for how you will get the word out about your work, events, and news.
Session 6:
Pricing
Saturday, April 22, 2023 1:30 pm
Free
This analytical approach isn’t intended to be the only way to price your work. It’s intended to show you the factors of product production that apply to everything in the marketplace. Once you understand what each of the variables are you’ll be able to customize a formula that fits your business model.
Session 7:
Recordkeeping
Free
Learn how to track revenues and expenses, make informed projections, and gain a clearer understanding of your artistic business finances.
Session 8:
Legal Considerations
Saturday, May 20, 2023 10:00 am
Free
Obtain general information about your intellectual property, contract basics and structuring your artistic business.
Session 9:
Funding
Saturday, May 20, 2023 1:30 pm
Free
Learn how to think creatively about diversifying your funding streams by exploring traditional and new models for generating value, resources, and revenue.
Session 10:
Grant Writing
Free
Learn the essentials of grant writing along with resources for searching and structuring your grants.
Session 11:
Business Plan Essentials
Saturday, June 24, 2023 10:00 am
Free
Learn how to prepare a simple business plan, in arts-friendly language, to help you organize all the various aspects of your artistic practice and make informed business decisions.
Session 12:
Engaging Customers and Selling Your Work
Saturday, June 24, 2023 1:30 pm
Free
Learn tools and techniques to communicate the value of your work to potential customers.
FAQs
Do I need to register?
While the workshop is free, registration is required to ensure we have enough space and materials for all attendees. The registration form allows you to sign up for one or more sessions. For registration questions contact Adam Pankow at 218-531-1654 or adam@springboardforthearts.org.
What should I bring?
All attendees will receive a Work of Art Toolkit and can use that to take notes. Feel free to bring your own notebook and preferred writing tools. We recommend bringing a reusable water bottle and/or coffee cup.
Are masks required?
Masks are optional for attendance at the workshops. Springboard's facilitator will not wear a mask. If the facilitator has symptoms of COVID-19, or is exposed to someone who has tested positive, either a new facilitator will be provided or content will be provided in a virtual format. Host will request that participants who are ill or have symptoms of COVID-19 not attend. If Host learns that participants have been exposed to someone with active COVID-19, Host will require them to wear a mask while attending the workshop. Springboard may choose to move any workshop to a virtual format for the health and safety of the facilitator.